Breakthrough toward developing blood test for pain

SMÄRTA / DIREKT FRÅN NÄTET / 2019-02-26

Researchers have developed a test that objectively measures pain biomarkers in blood. The test could help physicians better treat patients with precision medicine, and help stem the tide of the opioid crisis.

Fibromyalgia is characterized by chronic pain from no clear source. Patients with fibromyalgia frequently have sleep problems: Their deep sleep brain wave patterns are often disrupted by brain waves that correspond to wakefulness. A new study uses a novel approach to identify potential drug targets for treating fibromyalgia.

Pain 'dimmer switch' discovered

Chewing gum is often culprit for migraine headaches in teens

SMÄRTA / DIREKT FRÅN NÄTET / 2013-12-19

A researcher has found that gum-chewing teenagers, and younger children as well, are giving themselves headaches with this habit. These findings could help treat countless cases of migraine and tension headaches in adolescents without the need for additional testing or medication.

New treatment offers hope for headache sufferers

Groundbreaking pain research

SMÄRTA / DIREKT FRÅN NÄTET / 2013-09-19

The bodies of mammals, including humans, respond to injury by releasing endogenous opioids - compounds that mitigate acute pain. A team of researchers has uncovered groundbreaking new information about how the body responds to traumatic injury with the development of a surprisingly long-lasting opioid mechanism of natural chronic pain control. Remarkably, the body develops both physical and physiological dependence on this opioid system, just as it does to opiate narcotic drugs.

Research explores links between physical and emotional pain relief

SMÄRTA / DIREKT FRÅN NÄTET / 2013-03-22

Though we all desire relief - from stress, work, or pain - little is known about the specific emotions underlying relief. New research explores the psychological mechanisms associated with relief that occurs after the removal of pain, also known as pain offset relief.

Spine patients who quit smoking report diminished pain

SMÄRTA / DIREKT FRÅN NÄTET / 2013-03-19

Smoking is a known risk factor for back pain and disc disease. In a new study, researchers reviewed smoking cessation rates and related pain in 6,779 patients undergoing treatment for spinal disorders with severe axial (spine) or radicular (leg) pain. Information on each patient's age, gender, weight, smoking history, assessment of pain, treatment type and co-morbid depression also were assessed.

The pain puzzle: Uncovering how morphine increases pain in some people

SMÄRTA / DIREKT FRÅN NÄTET / 2013-01-07

For individuals with agonizing pain, it is a cruel blow when the gold-standard medication actually causes more pain. Adults and children whose pain gets worse when treated with morphine may be closer to a solution, based on new research.

Acupuncture may be better than no acupuncture, sham acupuncture for chronic pain

SMÄRTA / DIREKT FRÅN NÄTET / 2012-09-10

An analysis of patient data from 29 randomized controlled trials suggests that acupuncture may be better than no acupuncture or sham acupuncture for the treatment of some chronic pain, according to a new report.

[Nature Neuroscience] Why do some people with similar injuries end up with chronic pain while others recover and are pain free? The first longitudinal brain imaging study to track participants with a new back injury shows that the more two sections of the brain related to emotional and motivational behavior communicate, the greater likelihood a patient will develop chronic pain. Researchers were able to predict, at the beginning of the study, which participants would go on to develop chronic pain based on the level of brain interaction.

New imaging technique captures brain activity in patients with chronic low back pain

SMÄRTA / DIREKT FRÅN NÄTET / 2011-07-27

(Brigham and Women's Hospital) Research from Brigham and Women's Hospital uses a new imaging technique, arterial spin labeling, to show the areas of the brain that are activated when patients with low back pain have a worsening of their usual, chronic pain. This research is published in the August issue of the journal Anesthesiology.

Substantial recovery rate with placebo effect in headache treatment

SMÄRTA / DIREKT FRÅN NÄTET / 2011-05-23

(Elsevier Health Sciences) Ninety percent of all persons experience a headache at some time in their lives. Headaches commonly are tension-type (TTH) or migraine. They have high socioeconomic impact and can disturb most daily activities. Treatments range from pharmacologic to behavioral interventions. In a study published online today in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, a group of Dutch researchers analyzed 119 randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) and determined the magnitude of placebo effect and no treatment effect on headache recovery rate.

Migraine surgery offers good long-term outcomes, study finds

SMÄRTA / DIREKT FRÅN NÄTET / 2011-02-03

Surgery to "deactivate" migraine headaches produces lasting good results, with nearly 90 percent of patients having at least partial relief at five years' follow-up, researchers report. In about 30 percent of patients, migraine headaches were completely eliminated after surgery, according to the new study.

Pain: What Zen meditators don't think about won't hurt them

SMÄRTA / DIREKT FRÅN NÄTET / 2010-12-09

Zen meditation has many health benefits, including a reduced sensitivity to pain. According to new research meditators do feel pain but they simply don't dwell on it as much. These findings may have implications for chronic pain sufferers, such as those with arthritis, back pain or cancer.

Stem cell therapy: A future treatment for lower back pain?

SMÄRTA / DIREKT FRÅN NÄTET / 2010-11-29

Lower back pain affects many people and may be caused by degeneration of the discs between the vertebrae. Treatment for the condition using stem cells may be an alternative to today's surgical procedures, new research from Sweden suggests.

This is your brain on anesthesia: New light shed on how brain reacts during anesthetic induction and emergence

SMÄRTA / DIREKT FRÅN NÄTET / 2010-10-19

A new study strengthens emerging evidence that the act of going under anesthesia and coming out of anesthesia are distinct neurobiological processes. It also found that the parietal region of the brain may play a critical role in how anesthesia suppresses consciousness.